Cahill lauded as family man

Thursday

Aug 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2007 at 5:26 AM

Many today are still mourning the loss of two firefighters who lost their lives during last week’s fire in West Roxbury. But the family of Paul Cahill and his neighbors in Scituate are reeling from the loss of not only a firefighter, but also a man described as a great father, husband and friend.

Ryan Bray

Many today are still mourning the loss of two firefighters who lost their lives during last week’s fire in West Roxbury. But the family of Paul Cahill and his neighbors in Scituate are reeling from the loss of not only a firefighter, but also a man described as a great father, husband and friend.

Cahill, 55, was killed along with Warren Payne, 53, of Newton while responding to a fire at the Tai-Ho Restaurant in West Roxbury on Aug. 29. Both men were stationed at the Ladder 25/Engine 30 firehouse on Centre Street in West Roxbury, just down the road from the fire.

About 27 fire officials, including both Cahill and Payne, responded to the first alarm to a fire at the restaurant at 9:04 p.m. While early reports of the incident said the fire was a result of a faulty air conditioner in the restaurant, Boston Fire Department spokesman Scott Salman said it is still uncertain as to how the fire started. He said Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser has formed a board of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the blaze.

“There’s a lot of conflicting stories,” Salman said. “Some say the air conditioner fell completely through, but that’s not the case. Others have speculated it was a grease fire, but we won’t know until a report comes in.”

Halpin described Paul, her brother-in-law of 34 years, as a “simple man,” one who worked tirelessly through two jobs as a firefighter and an electrician to support his wife Anne and their three children: Brendan, 28; Adam, 21; and Shauna, 19. At the end of the day, Halpin said, all he ever wanted was to come home to his family.

“He just loved coming home to his house, and he lived for his family,” she said. “You hear that about a lot of people, but he really meant it.”

Paul also won the favor and adoration of his neighbors on Booth Hill Road, especially children in his neighborhood, who affectionately called him “Cat Daddy.”

“We have no idea how it began,” Halpin said. “It’s something that just sort of stuck around.”

Halpin said Paul was also a hit around the firehouse, both in West Roxbury and the house on Hunington Avenue he first joined as a member of the department in 1993. She said he loved cooking for others in the house and often took some good-natured ribbing from others for being one of the older members of his training class.

“All of the trainees would call him grandpa,” she said. “But he just loved the job.”

Paul, Halpin recalled, enjoyed life’s simple pleasures, namely fishing, working in his garden and the peanut butter crackers and milk he would snack on every night before going to bed. And as a Vietnam veteran, he was a man swelled with American pride, a characteristic that showed itself to others at almost every turn, she said.

“If someone were buying a new car, he’d say ‘Please, just buy an American car,’” Halpin said. “He loved his country that much.”

But in the end, everything in Cahill’s life came back to his family. Halpin remembers the days he would walk Adam through his garden and the time he took his daughter, now a sophomore in college, to her first father-daughter dance when she was a young girl. It was those special moments, she said, that truly made him happy.

“He was so proud of her,” Halpin said of that night. “He loved his kids so much.”

And then there is Anne. Halpin said Paul was always a loving husband to her sister, noting that she never once saw her open a car door because Paul was always there to open it for her. When she decided to go to school to get her master’s degree in education, Paul worked days, nights and whatever he could to make it happen.

Looking forward, Halpin said that although he is gone, Paul’s presence would never be forgotten by his family and friends. Instead, she said his spirit will live on through the values and principles he instilled in his children and through the simple ways he touched the lives of those closest to him.

“He’s laid a great foundation for his wife and kids,” Halpin said.

The Boston Firefighters Credit Union established a fund in support of the families of the fallen firefighters. Those interested in making a contribution can visit cityofboston.gov/fire/ for more information.